Michigan State basketball has epic meltdown late, loses at Iowa in overtime, 112-106

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It was one of the most incredible collapses in Tom Izzo’s 28-year Hall of Fame career. And in college basketball history.

Michigan State basketball blew a 13-point lead in the final 1:34 of regulation as Iowa drilled five 3-pointers in the last 40 seconds of regulation to force a seemingly improbable overtime.

Kris Murray scored four early points in the extra period, including a layup and a critical steal that turned into a Tony Perkins tip with 1:12 to go that finished off the Spartans. Perkins tipped in another Murray miss with 26.7 seconds left, enough cushion for the Hawkeyes.

Score with 2:03 left in regulation: MSU 89, Iowa 76.

Final score in overtime: Iowa 112, MSU 106.

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According to the NCAA, the Spartans (17-11, 9-8 Big Ten) became the fourth team in Division I history to lose when leading by 11 points with 55 seconds to play in regulation.

“Focus and finish are the two Fs for me. And I don't know why we didn't. But those are things that a leader has gotta do,” Izzo said, slamming his fist on the table due to a third one – frustration. “I get all this credit for leading, I didn't lead them. And we did not finish that game. And I take as much responsibility as anybody."

Murray scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half and overtime, and Perkins had 19 of his 24 points after halftime for Iowa (18-11, 10-8).

Payton Sandfort had 22 points, making three of his six 3-pointers in the final 1:30 of regulation including the game-tying 3 with 3.3 seconds to play. Those were part of the Hawkeyes’ 36-17 rally at the end of regulation and into overtime.

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The Spartans finished 11 of 15 from 3-point range and 31 of 36 at the free throw line, but A.J. Hoggard — who had made seven straight in the final 1:27 — missed his eighth with 10.2 seconds left in the second half that allowed Sandfort’s equalizer.

“We gotta finish games and do what's necessary to win,” Hoggard said. “Communicate, go all-out, just give maximum effort in the game. I don't think we did that tonight, and it showed.”

Tyson Walker set his MSU high with 31 points but was scoreless in overtime. Jaden Akins scored 21, Joey Hauser scored 18 and Hoggard added 15 points with seven assists and four of the Spartans’ 15 turnovers. Malik Hall had 16 points.

MSU heads to Nebraska on Tuesday for a 9 p.m. tipoff on BTN.

Falling apart

MSU shattered its previous season high of 89 points scored at home against Buffalo in the nonconference finale Dec. 30, passing it with two Hall free throws with 1:34 left in regulation. It was the Spartans’ first 100-point game in Big Ten play since March 2, 2008 against Indiana, and their first time hitting the century mark since scoring 109 in a win over Oakland on Dec. 13, 2020.

This was the first time MSU scored more than 100 points and lost since a 109-106 triple-overtime defeat against Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 22, 2005.

Akins and Hauser combined to go 8-for-8 from 3-point range, but neither took one in overtime. MSU made 5 of 5 3-point shots in the second half, with Hoggard and Hall missing the only deep shots taken in overtime.

Instead, the Hawkeyes shocked everyone with desperation deep shooting in the final minute after the Spartans appeared headed to an easy win — even those Iowa fans who stayed for the incredible comeback.

MSU extended its lead to 13 points on Walker’s three of four free throws with 2:03 left in regulation, one of which the result of a Fran McCaffery technical foul that helped change the game flow.

Perkins grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to cut MSU’s lead to 89-78, a theme for the Spartans. Iowa turned 15 offensive rebounds into 29 second-chance points; MSU had four offensive boards and four second-chance points.

Sandfort hit the first 3-pointer with 1:30 to go. Then Connor McCaffery dropped another with 38.7 ticks left. Hall got called for a travel on the inbound pass after an Iowa timeout, and Murray buried another 3. All of a sudden, the Spartans’ lead dipped to four.

Hoggard made two free throws each with 29 and 19.1 seconds left, but Patrick McCaffery plopped a 3-pointer between them. Then Connor McCaffery sent the remaining crowd into a fevered pitch on a 3 with 10.8 seconds to play.

Hoggard was fouled again, but missed the second one and the Hawkeyes rebounded. Sandfort caught the ball in motion and ... splash. Again.

Hoggard’s desperation heave at the buzzer missed. Euphoria in the stands. Stunned faces for the Spartans.

After going 6 of 52 combined from deep in its past two road losses, Iowa finished 17-for-36 from 3 and hit 6 of 9 in the final 90 seconds of regulation.

Iowa carried that momentum into overtime, opening on a 7-2 run and put the game away with Perkins’ two putbacks.

Scorching start

The Spartans hit a sizzling 63% from the field in the first half, with their 17-for-27 shooting including going 6 of 8 from 3-point range. They committed nine turnovers that led to 12 points for the Hawkeyes.

But what the Spartans did on the offensive end, Iowa countered by shredding their defense.

First, Rebraca scored at will over MSU freshman Jaxon Kohler, hitting his first five shots on the block and scoring 12 points. The Hawkeyes continued to slump from outside early by going 1-for-6 in the first 8½ minutes. But MSU’s Pierre Brooks lost Sandfort for a second-chance 3-pointer that revived Iowa’s deep mojo, and the Hawkeyes hit five of their final nine.

Iowa shot 50% from the field overall and finished 6 for 16 from 3.

The high scoring continued at the outset of the second half, with Hall replacing Mady Sissoko in the starting group and scoring the Spartans’ first two baskets, before picking up his second and third fouls.

Hauser drained the Spartans’ fifth 3-pointer of the half with 4:43 to play, and Walker followed with another deep jumper to extend MSU’s lead to 10, before his free throws and Fran McCaffery’s technical foul.

From there, an epic ending for Iowa and a monumental meltdown for MSU.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball loses at Iowa 112-106 (OT) on epic meltdown